What was, on the surface, a high class grappling tournament in Rahway, New Jersey, yesterday, opened a political can of worms as a series of freak injuries at the USA SAMBO Open revealed unrest with national management.
The primary attraction of the USA SAMBO Open is the classical rules of the Russian martial art known colloquially as “sport SAMBO,” one of three recognized rules sets to bare the SAMBO name. Sport SAMBO is not dissimilar from Olympic rules Judo, with the most notable differences being the allowance of leg locks, the disallowance of chokes, generally more time spent on the ground, and increased difficulty in scoring a perfect throw that will end the match.

After the sport SAMBO festivities, which featured an international cast of athletes from nine countries and 40 competitors total in the adult division, the event was closed with five exhibition matches of Combat SAMBO. The Combat SAMBO rules have their roots in the Russian military and, though practiced in traditional SAMBO uniform, allows for a variety of strikes and is often described as “MMA with a jacket on.”

During the five exhibitions, there was string of freak injuries where four of the competitors were forced to seek medical attention, two with serious shoulder injuries. While any injury is unfortunate in athletic competition, the real drama surfaced afterward when it was revealed that the tournament had insufficient accident insurance to cover the unexpected injuries.

Matters only became worse when on-site attempts to treat the injuries revealed that there were no medical personnel hired to observe the event nor were even basic first aid materials, such as ice packs, available on site.

The AASF, the group sanctioning the SAMBO Open and the American branch of the international regulatory SAMBO body, FIAS, seemed to have had a collective organizational hiccup regarding tournament management. However, reaction to the injury issue from the SAMBO community revealed a farther reaching and possibly terminal illness in western SAMBO.

The tournament did boast key international talent, including world champions originally hailing from Russia, Georgia, and even Mongolia. As indicated by the palpable absence of spoken English it would seem like the only competitor not in attendance was you.

The 40 adult competitors, some of which swing athletes that can compete in both ‘cadet’ and ‘senior’ divisions at 17 years of age, made up a group that New York Combat SAMBO head coach Stephen Koepfer referred to as “demonstrably smaller” than last year’s competition.

AASF president David Rudman also recognized the smaller turn out, noting that the overall participation was about “50% less” than the year before.

Sport SAMBO is a highly active endeavor with rarely a pause.

“It’s the most difficult sport I’ve participated in, next to soccer,” said bronze medalist and multiple martial art veteran Reilly Bodycomb. “I wouldn’t say it’s harder than MMA. But in MMA you’re strategically encouraged to back off with your jab or take a breath when [you’re in a dominant position.] Here you can’t do that.”

Constant action would seem to make SAMBO the most palatable grappling competition to spectators, with the possible exception of NCAA wrestling, if it were better advertised. Even among the thriving grappling culture in New York and New Jersey, few American athletes were even aware that there was a grappling tournament with world champion level competitors going on in their back yard.

Rudman maintains that advertising the event outside of the insular SAMBO community, which in the US consists mostly of members of the Eastern European immigrant communities that are heavily concentrated in Brooklyn and Coney Island, costs money that his organization simply does not have. However, former AASF president and former FIAS vice-president Leonid Polykov feels that the decline of western SAMBO practitioners is a long time problem that has been maintained by AASF management decisions that keep the sport insular.

“The main problem is that these people don’t have the decency to deal with other clubs [outside of SAMBO],” said Polykov. “And when they do, no one follows up. Some people like to have special attention.”

Polykov explained that, while SAMBO is still a huge sport in the former Soviet Block countries that spawned the sport, the last real resurgence of native born American SAMBO practitioners was in the 80’s when the sport was still attached to the AAU and other wrestling organizations.

Polykov also attributes the lack of new organizational ties the AASF could have formed to managerial resistance to joining with a larger body in the US, saying simply that “Everybody likes to be king of a small kingdom.”

With all the organizational flaws in the SAMBO Open, the one undeniable positive is the sheer talent competing.

“Where else could my guys compete with world class [SAMBO competition,]” Koepfer said of the tournament, which New York Combat Sambo members Reilly Bodycomb and Ariel Elghanayan competed in. “It’s a mixed bag tournament. It’s good for my athletes, but it’s bad for the sport.”

5/04/2010 2:38pm,

Lampa

This reminds me, I really need to change my business account here to reflect the work I do for MATCS. I contribute a lot more to there and other side stuff than I do to the link in my profile, now adays.

5/04/2010 3:23pm,

Omega Supreme

Polykov? Wow, there's a name I haven't heard of in a long time.

5/04/2010 6:57pm,

Matt Phillips

I actually talked to him recently for the Scott Sonnon investigation. He's a very nice old dude.

BTW Lampa, you spelled Polyakov wrong ;)

5/04/2010 9:05pm,

Lampa

Quote:

Originally Posted by War Wheel

I actually talked to him recently for the Scott Sonnon investigation. He's a very nice old dude.

BTW Lampa, you spelled Polyakov wrong ;)

I'd normally be very embarassed about this, but a little admission. While I'm very good with English, Spanish, and Italian, I can't so much as pronounce simple names in Russian. I had to double check so much crap for this story because I never was positive I knew what any given person was saying.

On the bright side, I got an e-mail from Mr. Polyakov expressing his gratitude for putting together a story that would have otherwise gone under the radar in a timely manner. So, I don't think he minded.

5/04/2010 9:37pm,

Mtripp

Time for a story.....

When the jujitsu thing began to get big, early 1990's, people were having events all over the place. I took a team to NC for such an event. The USJJA was putting it on, and they were going to have Sport Jujitsu matches (Ernie Boggs stuff) and grappling.

That is a very long drive from Detroit. We took a full team.

By mid-day we realized that there was ZERO medical staff, period. My ex-wife, who was NOT certified as a Nurse yet, stepped up with our personal medical supplies and spent the entire day putting people back together.

By the end of the day I learned there was ZERO insurance on ANYTHING at the event. If you had to sue, you might get someones double wide, thats about it.

Well, not quite, they could have sued ME! You see, as the Coach, it was and is my job to check those things. It could be argued they could go after me through the USJA (deep pocket) because they were all members and assumed I checked it out.

Would they win? Who knows, but who needs it?

That was the end of ANY involvement these kind of events. You have to ask people, and like it or not, you can not go or play if they don't take care of those things.

This is very sad, and while I understand the problems Sambo had with the AAU, there was insurance coverage for everyone.

I wonder how many of ANY of these events, grappling, jujitsu, etc, have the proper coverage for the players and the Coaches?

5/04/2010 9:54pm,

Matt Phillips

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lampa

I'd normally be very embarassed about this, but a little admission. While I'm very good with English, Spanish, and Italian, I can't so much as pronounce simple names in Russian. I had to double check so much crap for this story because I never was positive I knew what any given person was saying.

On the bright side, I got an e-mail from Mr. Polyakov expressing his gratitude for putting together a story that would have otherwise gone under the radar in a timely manner. So, I don't think he minded.

One tiny flaw in an otherwise outstanding piece.

You shoulda taked Russian in HS like me :P

5/04/2010 10:00pm,

Matt Phillips

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mtripp

Time for a story.....

When the jujitsu thing began to get big, early 1990's, people were having events all over the place. I took a team to NC for such an event. The USJJA was putting it on, and they were going to have Sport Jujitsu matches (Ernie Boggs stuff) ...

For those that may not have seen it, Bogg's Sport JJ was striking, throwing and 1 minute on the ground to roll for subs, in full gi + small gloves and headgear. SImilar to Ammy Shooto rules.

The problem with checking with these guys first is they will tell you everything was covered. Sadly, in past years they actually have had medical staff present, I assumed there would be at this event too.

Regarding their insurance, supposedly, if you were an AASF/FIAS member, you had insurance and if you were not, you were supposed to provide proof of your own insurance. However, they also apparently never checked these things at registration...and apparently, they did not have the insurance they claimed.

But, I agree with Mark in that, unfortunately, the coach really does have to check up. None of my guys were hurt thankfully (and they all have their own health insurance), but I would feel awful had they been and were not covered.

I always expect disorganization at this event, but I could not have predicted the medical concerns...especially with all the horm blowing about insurance prior. It really does represent continued decline with the way these guys run their ship.